American Angel
by fleurily
Summary: She's American. She's a shaman. Her name is Angel. How enthralling.


Angel Simmons ran a hand through her hair, pulling a snarl out of the pink, waist length locks. The purple shirt she wore was suffocating and hot, though it was sleeveless. Heat rose from the sidewalk in waves, penetrating the soles of her violet and black Converse sneakers. She pulled the belt holding up her baggy cargoes tight, slinging her backpack over one shoulder. Her house loomed ahead, no different from any of the other typical suburban homes on the California street. She eased the door open, sliding in and closing it behind her. Angel was halfway up the stairs when she heard the familiar bark.

"Angelica, get down here and do the laundry!" Her mother roared. Angel continued up the stairs, ignoring her. Every day was exactly the same in the Simmons house, with no changes except the homework strewn across Angel's desk. Her father was in his downtown office, admiring the view and swindling clients of his law firm. Her mother remained a fixture on the couch, screaming what a disappointment her daughter was and gulping from a bottle of vodka. Angel mainly stayed in her room, got her homework done, and sometimes did odd jobs for neighbors to earn money.

"Sasha, would it technically be correct to say that I'm adopted?" Angel asked the seemingly empty room.

"Legally, no." The ghost of the girl appeared above Angel's bed. She drummed her claw-like fingernails on her leg, whistling nonchalantly. Silver hair was spiked in slightly matted dreadlocks that fell to her shoulders. Sasha was a werewolf, or at least she had been when she was alive. She had died before she had turned fifteen, never even making it to the college she wanted to go to.

"But I am, right? I mean, my real parents were shamans. But then they gave me to them-" she jabbed her thumb toward the door. "So I'm adopted, right?"

"They look just like your real parents, though." Sasha pointed out.

"That isn't the point." Angel snapped, crawling under her bed. She pulled out a black leather suitcase, hidden under dirty clothes. The zipper was already open. Angel reached inside, pulling out a wad of crumpled cash held together by a rubber band. Sasha levitated upside down beside her, grinning.

"Got enough yet?" She jibed.

Angel stared at the money, eyes wide as she counted it. "No, wait- I could have sworn-" She counted it again, three times. She smiled, tears at the corners of her eyes. "Sasha- we're going to Tokyo! We have enough!"

Sasha laughed, giving Angel a high five. "You can go! You could be the next Shaman Master! Boo yah!"

Angel pulled out the suitcases under her bed, throwing them open. "I'm going to start packing right now!"

Sasha watched the clock on the wall turn to twelve, the little chime almost drowned out by a snore from Angel. She was sprawled across the packed cases on the bed, peacefully oblivious to any other world except her own. Sasha drifted downstairs, wandering through the hall to the family room. The television flashed one of the late night shows; illuminating Angel's mother sprawled over the couch with her empty vodka bottle in one hand. Sasha went into the kitchen, ignoring the ringing phone. The answering machine picked up. It was Angel's dad.

"Hey, honey, I'm going to be at the office again until tomorrow. I'm sorry I have to work so much recently, but it really isn't my fault. Angel, honey, I know you're there-" Sasha could hear him sigh, setting the phone on the cradle. It didn't hang up, though. She heard him shuffling papers, tapping a pen on the desk. She lay across the counter, listening closely. A crash came through the line, a shout.

"Who the hell are you?" Angel's father demanded. A scream echoed as a gunshot tore through the speaker. Sasha gasped as she heard a gurgled choke. A deep voice laughed on the other end. The phone crackled, then went dead.

Sasha looked around, panicking. "Oh my God- Angel! Angel!" She went through the ceiling up to the girl's room. A car drove by, headlights illuminating the far wall.

"Sasha- what are you- doing-" Angel turned over to her side. Sasha slapped her, pulling her off the bed. Angel sat up, hand to her cheek.

"What is your problem?" She shouted.

"Your dad- he called, and then he didn't hang up when he was done with the message, and he shouted and they shot him!" Angel rolled over, pulling herself to her feet.

"Why would somebody shoot him?" She froze as the sound of shattering glass came from downstairs. Sasha whimpered.

"Somebody's downstairs, Angel! They'll get you, too!" She pleaded.

Angel shook her head. "I have to go down there!" She opened her door, jumping quietly down the first flight of stairs. The lights were off, but she could see by the light of the television. Somebody in black was in the kitchen, digging through the medicine cabinet. Sasha whimpered, hovering behind Angel's shoulder. The burglar turned around, but Angel had already hidden in the darkest corner of the family room, behind the television. A second person walked up the stairs, checking the rooms.

The first one pulled a gun from his person, leveling it at Angel's mother on the couch. Angel was frozen in fear, her eyes wide open. The trigger pulled back. The shot resounded in the room. Angel almost screamed, but Sasha silenced her with a hand over her mouth and eyes, shaking as she stared at the blood-covered couch.

"We're done here." The second said. The first nodded, following outside. Angel could hear a car screech away. Sasha pulled her into the hall, still covering Angel's eyes.

"They're dead-" Angel stammered as soon as Sasha released her. Sasha blinked, quivering. Angel leaned against the wall, sliding down to her knees. Sasha disappeared, leaving her alone in the hall tracked with bloody footprints. Angel stared at the door, where a note was scrawled in black marker.

_Kokushibyou_

_Chapter Two: Werewolves of London_

Angel stared sardonically at the caged clock on the wall, watching each second pass. The sign under it read in several languages, "The Children Are The Future." She snorted, tapping her fingers on the table. The Social Service office didn't look very welcoming at all, all mesh wire and steel along with security guards scattered about.

"So you bring the future here to what, see what Juvie looks like?" Angel sneered at the woman who sat across the table. Abigail Johnson sniffed. She was the social worker who had been with Angel through several lawsuits brought against the girl, including arson and assault. Her dark hair curled close to her head, showing off her brown eyes.

"With an attitude and record like yours, we had to search everywhere to try and find a foster family for you, Angelica."

"It's Angel, Gabs." She corrected, propping her feet onto the table. Abigail stiffened.

"We couldn't find one. You are a ward of the state now." Abigail snapped.

Angel filed her nails, oblivious. "Maybe that delightful warden from LAJDC will take me back. She liked the humor and wit I brought to the place for my six months."

"The warden kicked you out five days short of your completed sentence!" Abigail slammed the file down on the table. "That's it, I cannot deal with your attitude! I have helped you for God knows how long, and this is how you repay my kindness!"

Angel spun around in the chair, whistling. "I was six when they first brought me in, Gabs. You thought I would be easy, a cute case."

Abigail growled. "I was hell bound wrong!"

Angel tsked disapprovingly. "Act maturely, Abigail! You might negatively influence the future!" She nodded to the sign on the wall. Abigail sputtered before storming angrily away, slamming the chain link door behind her.

Sasha appeared behind Angel, glaring. "You're so mean to her."

Angel sighed, rubbing her head. "I feel sick, Sasha. I just had two people who I didn't really care for, but still didn't want to have anything like that happen to them, killed mercilessly. I have my suitcases in the mail for Tokyo, and I don't want to be here!"

Sasha leaned on her head, yawning. "Is your ear sore again? You know what the doctor said about your head colds."

"Shut up, Sasha." Angel snapped. Sasha flinched, moving away. "I'm sorry, Sasha, don't take it that way."

Sasha went to the window, looking out at the sky with an excited expression as she felt a familiar chill down her spine. "We can go now, Angel."

"What do you mean, the bars on the window-" Angel stopped as Sasha grinned, almost bouncing with excitement.

"It's a full moon tonight!"

Abigail came back into the room, tossing a bundle of paperwork onto the table.

"Angelica, we'll have to- Oh my God!" She screamed. The window in the wall was shattered, the bars bent aside like nothing. A smear of red blood was on the glass where the fist had slammed into the window. Abigail looked outside to see an empty sidewalk, the pink hair of the girl not anywhere in sight. "Great. The head's gonna be on me about this one."

Angel slammed her visa on the counter of London International Airport, favoring her right hand. Under the white bandages wrapped around her hand were deep slices that were still bleeding, but not as heavily as before. The airport attendant smiled at her, stamping her passport.

"Your flight is down there, miss." He pointed to a gate farther down the massive hall. Angel trudged along the carpet, shaking her head to stay awake. Sasha walked beside her, looking at her hand.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't think about it! Does it hurt really badly? You might need stitches!" Sasha blubbered. Angel bit her lip.

"It's fine, Sasha. It isn't your fault, okay? Let's just get to Tokyo." She hissed, dropping her backpack to rub her ear. "Ouch!"

"You are getting a head cold! I told you! You have to go see a doctor, or else it will get worse!" Sasha fluttered over her, concerned.

"It won't get worse, I just popped it on the plane, that's all." Angel snapped, temper short.

"Flight 476 for Tokyo leaving at Gate 13." The intercom boomed. Angel grabbed her bag, running full tilt down the carpet. She tossed her ticket at the attendant, running down the ramp to the plane. It was moving away from the door, sliding back into it. Angel hesitated, then leapt over the empty space. For a terrifying moment, she hung in midair before landing inside the door of the plane. Sasha kept her from falling back as the door closed behind her. The attendants came scurrying up to see what the commotion was, but Angel slid into her seat before they noticed her. Sasha and Angel settled down to sleep as the plane left British ground.

Chapter Three: In Which Sasha Annoys Angel, and Angel Avoids Attempting to Kill Her

Angel glared sardonically at Sasha, dragging her suitcases behind her.

"Stop prancing around and singing, you loser." She growled. Sasha giggled, skipping around Angel.

"I'm not a loser, konnichiwa Tokyo! La la la!" Sasha replied in a singsong voice. Angel bit her lip, grinding her teeth as she took a deep breath.

"I will not attempt to kill the ghost." She told herself, clenching tight fists to her side. Sasha went behind her, floating just above her head and poking at her neck.

"You can't kill me, I'm already dead!" Sasha giggled, spinning around. Angel sighed, rolling her eyes.

"You're a hopeless idiot, Sasha. Let's catch a train, okay? I'll hurt you later."

"You need to lighten up, Angel! Life is short, enjoy it! Whee!" Sasha turned a somersault, laughing. Angel snickered, trying not to smile.

"You would know about short life, wouldn't you?" She laughed, kicking her bag into the train doors. Sasha sniffed, indignant.

"That's not funny. It's not like it's my fault."

Angel snorted. "No, you were hit by a bus that when you were jaywalking. I mean, you're-" She snickered. "A werewolf. You're supposed to have heightened senses or some bull like that. And you happened to miss noticing a bus!" Sasha stared at her, annoyed, as Angel giggled.

"You have an extremely sick sense of humor, you know that?" Sasha snapped. Angel swung around on the metal bar, humming absentmindedly. "What are we doing now that we're here, anyway?"

Angel pulled her wallet chain, yanking the black cat decorated wallet into her hand. "Well, we're pretty much poor now, so I guess I'll just have to find a nice graveyard somewhere." Angel shrugged. Sasha freaked out.

"You can't stay in a graveyard, you have no idea who could hang out in those places!"

Angel rolled her eyes. "Ghosts, shamans, and oh yeah! Dead people, too."

"It could be dangerous, you know!" Sasha warned.

Angel turned to her, annoyed. "Let me break this down for you, Sasha. I see dead people. They're everywhere, and I'll be damned! Would you look at that? I can talk to the little buggers, too!"

"You stole that from the Sixth Sense." Sasha snapped.

Angel pulled her knees up to her chest, resting her chin on them. "Not exactly, only the first part." The two girls sat in silence, staring out the window.

Angel was wakened by a sharp shove that sent her sprawling off the train seat. Sasha hissed, panicked.

"You fell asleep! How could you fall asleep? It's the last stop of the night, we have to get off!" Angel hurriedly grabbed her suitcases and stumbled onto the dark platform, watching as the train lights flashed by and disappeared into the dark. Angel looked around, rubbing sleep from her eyes. The station was dark, most of the bulbs broken. Busted vending machines were against the walls. Angel groaned, yanking her cases behind her as she trudged onto the sidewalk. She looked around, trying to get her bearings.

"Sasha, can you see any graveyards nearby?" Sasha looked around, not bothering to change her altitude.

"There's one on that hill over there, stupid." She pointed to the hill silhouetted against the moon. A tree and headstones were also visible.

"You don't have to be so darn sarcastic about it-" Angel cried out, stumbling as she put a hand to her ear. Sasha was beside her in a second, concerned.

"Your ear again? You should really see a doctor! Angel, are you alright?"

"No- I don't need to see a doctor. It's just the altitude change, okay?" Angel cleared her throat. "Let's go." She grunted as she picked up the suitcases.

"Don't be a pussy, Angelica." Sasha began running, barely jogging in her ability but still extremely fast.

"Angel! Angel! Angel!" Angel growled. " And I'm not a pussy!"

An hour later, after three spills down the side of the hill, all ending in face plants; Angel made it to the top, panting heavily.

"Damn the creator that put this hill here!" She growled, sweat pouring down her face. Sasha giggled, going into a handstand.

"Don't be silly, it's good exercise for you! And look, there's a lot of ghosts here!" She was right. The graveyard was almost swarming with ghosts, the majority of which were staring at the two of them.

Angel cleared her throat, switching to Japanese. "Hey, there, guys. I was wondering- Um, I'm a shaman, apparently, otherwise I wouldn't be able to see you- would ya'll mind if I stayed here for a while? And, um, her too?" She tilted her head toward Sasha, who waved.

"Konnichiwa, everybody!" She chirped.

One ghost, a woman with black hair, smiled. "What a polite child! Of course you can, dear! Right, everyone?" The other ghosts nodded, returning to their various conversations. Angel bowed her head to the ghost woman, smiling.

"Thank you, ma'am. I'm really grateful." The woman patted her on the head.

"Of course, dear, but why on earth would you want to stay in a place like this? It's rainy in the spring, and you could easily catch cold."

Angel laughed as Sasha perched on a headstone but lost her balance, falling. The ghost woman forgot completely about her question, and Angel breathed a mental sigh of relief. As the sun rose, she pulled her bags into a small building that had once housed a shrine and curled up in a corner, ignoring the tightening in her lungs when she tried to breathe too deeply. Lying on her sore ear, she fell asleep with the beginnings of a steady rain beating on the roof.

Chapter Four: In Which Angel Meets Another Shaman 

Angel woke up around noon the next day, changing into her camouflage cargo pants to keep warmer in the soft rain. Sasha was still sleeping when she crept outside with her guitar and amplifier. Angel perched on a headstone, balancing the guitar on her lap and plugging it in to the converter. Sasha came out, floating above her head.

"Play the Anthem! You're so good at that one! Or Bloody Valentine!" Sasha begged. Angel laughed, turning up the amp and testing the strings before she picked out the first few notes of Bloody Valentine.

"Good Charlotte, Sasha. Alternative rock at its best."

_Oh my love, please don't cry,_

_I'll wash my bloody hands and we'll start a new life._

I ripped out 

_His throat_

_And called you on the telephone to_

_To take off my disguise_

_Just in time to hear you cry._

_When you- you mourn the death of your bloody valentine-_

Sasha laughed, nodding her head in time to the music. Angel grinned, humming the familiar lyrics and strumming the mint green and blue Fender electric guitar.

"You really like that song, don't you?" Angel laughed. Sasha snorted.

"It was my favorite song when I was still alive, not like it's going to change. I only died when that first came out." She rolled over, stretching with a wide yawn. Angel laughed, playing the first bar of another song, jumping to her feet and standing on the block of granite.

"The Anthem!" Sasha laughed as Angel danced around as she played, banging her head.

"Now it's Getting Away With Murder, remember?" Angel asked, switching tunes. The wet headstone made her slip, sending her flying. She landed on her rear end, rather startled. A laugh came from across the graveyard. Angel scrambled to her feet, looking for the source of the noise. A boy with long, brown hair and a short boy with blond hair were laughing hysterically at her. Sasha sniffed, indignant.

"What's so funny?" The ghost asked. Angel grinned, crossing her legs and sitting down.

"I just made an idiot of myself, Sasha. I suppose it is rather amusing." Sasha perched in the air behind Angel, leaning on the electric guitar. Angel shook it, growling. "Get the hell off! You'll break it."

"I'm a ghost, asshole! Bite me!" Sasha snapped back. The two boys walked over, the taller one grinning. Angel noticed that orange headphones held his hair back, but she bit back the sarcastic remark on the tip of her tongue.

"Hey there! I'm Yoh, and this is Manta!" The boy held out his hand. Angel stretched, coolly ignoring the gesture. Sasha rolled her eyes.

"Rude as usual." Angel raised an eyebrow at the ghost's comment. Yoh cleared his throat, thrown off by Angel's deliberate insolence.

"Angel. I live down the street from some old mansion. I just moved here from America." She smiled, her most charming smile. Sasha giggled.

"I think you're flirting with him, Angel. Would you like for me to leave you two alone?" She teased in singsong English. Yoh looked at her.

"We can all hear you and see you, you know."

Sasha yelped, surprised. "He just talked to me!" She told Angel.

Angel looked sideways at her. "You dug your own hole, Sasha. Did you happen to not notice the giant samurai behind him?" She looked the boy's ghost over, musing. "I suppose he's close to the size of a bus, you could easily miss him just like one."

Sasha sniffed. "Jerk." Angel jabbed her with her elbow sharply. Sasha smacked her on the back of the head in return. Yoh laughed.

"What are you doing here?" He asked. Angel yawned.

"Just hanging out. I was bored, so I brought my guitar up here for inspiration. My parents are unpacking, so I snuck out to be alone." Angel bent over, trying to catch her breath as her lungs tightened suddenly. Sasha gasped.

"You do-" Angel cut her off.

"Altitude change is really screwing with my sinuses." She laughed. Sasha huffed, frustrated.

"You lie like a dog." Angel jumped up, bristling.

"Oh yeah? You smell like one!" She snapped.

Sasha retorted. "Pink haired Barbie doll!"

"Full moon freak!" The two girls growled, turning away from each other with arms crossed. Yoh and Manta stared at them, eyes wide.

"Something to see here?" Sasha and Angel asked at the same time. "Don't say what I'm saying! I can if I want to! Oh, shut up." They sat down, pouting. Yoh and Manta laughed.

"We have to go, or Anna will kill us. See you around!" Manta tugged Yoh away, but Yoh stopped.

"By the way, Angel, next time you try to lie about where you live make sure the person your talking to doesn't go to school right there." He grinned. Angel sputtered as he waved. "Talk to you later!"

Sasha snickered. "Caught you in your own lie, Angelica."

"It's Angel, you stuck up self absorbed pussy!" Angel shouted, jumping onto Sasha.

"I'm not a pussy, you're a pussy! That doesn't hurt, you idiot! You can't break a ghost's nose! Ha!" Sasha laughed.

Angel slugged her in the face, hard. "So you can't feel that fat lip I just gave you?"

Sasha pulled up, floating just out of her reach. "Bloody hell! You- You- Ugh!"

Angel hacked, suddenly out of breath. "Sasha- I don't feel so good-" She gagged again, coughing without halt for a few minutes. Sasha looked down at her.

"Are you faking?" Angel leaned over, vomiting what little food was in her stomach onto the grass before heaving dryly. Hot sweat ran down her flushed cheeks as she gasped for breath, hacking violently.

Sasha waited until the cough stopped, supporting Angel on her shoulder. "You need to lie down, okay?" Angel shook her head.

"No- I'm fine-" She burst into another fit of coughing. Sasha helped her to her sleeping bag in the shelter. Angel was almost asleep when she hit the pillow, eyes barely open. Her breaths were shallow and quick. Sasha sat down next to her, watching her with wide eyes. Outside, thunder rolled as the clouds darkened above the city.

"Please be okay, Angel- I need you." Sasha curled up next to the sick girl, listening to her ragged breathing.

Chapter 5: Howling at a Cloud Covered Moon 

Yoh and Manta were on their way to the train station, chatting and laughing as usual. As they walked down the path through the graveyard, Manta felt a chill go down his spine. The sound of crying echoed through the headstones,


End file.
